This grant would support the development of the research infrastructure, including data bases, research methodologies, and collaborative working relationships that will provide the foundation for ongoing, sustainable research and programs on health disparities and effective strategies for addressing those disparities. Black Hills State University, the Montana-Wyoming Tribal Leaders Council and Tribal Colleges, and Project HOPE Center for Health Affairs have developed an innovative partnership approach to respond to the NIH NCMHHD Request for Applications for development of research infrastructure to address health disparities issues affecting American Indians. Specific activities that would be conducted under the grant include: 1) Development and implementation of standardized data collection protocols to assess Community Health Needs across Tribal populations in Montana and Wyoming, which will be used to identify high priority health areas for community outreach and information dissemination; 2) Development and implementation of standardized data collection protocols for collecting epidemiological data on a periodic basis to establish an ongoing database for ongoing research and evaluation; 3) Creation of a centralized database for use by all project team members for research and to provide background data for designing and conducting health disparities projects; 4) Design and conduct of Community Outreach and Information Dissemination projects targeted to specific health needs identified by the Montana-Wyoming Tribes; 5) Establishment of effective working relationships and joint projects between BHSU and Tribal College faculty to transfer knowledge and research and grants management skills that would provide the foundation for continuing capabilities and commitment to health disparities research and targeted projects; and 6) Design of a health disparities research agenda, pilot testing and evaluation of specific health disparities research topics chosen as highest priority by Tribal leaders and health directors. The proposed outcomes of these activities would include: 1) establishment of the research infrastructure necessary for conduct of ongoing health disparities research, evaluation, and programs; 2) development of a targeted research agenda, addressing Tribally identified priority health issues, and testing of the feasibility and most effective strategies for implementing this research agenda; 3) development of increased research skills and cultural competency among BHSU and Tribal College faculty, through mutual and interactive mentoring activities; and 4) development of effective collaborative relationships among BHSU faculty, Tribal College faculty, and Project HOPE researchers and survey methodologists that will form the basis for a long-term partnership for joint research programs to identify, assess, and implement strategies to reduce health disparities. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]